During the past several years, the increase in the use of packet networks (such as the Internet) has been tremendous. In fact, use of the Internet, in particular, has become, if not ubiquitous, certainly commonplace. The increased use, is due in part, to the amount of freely available information. Recently, there has also been an increased use of packet networks for commercial purposes.
In combination with the increased usage of these packet networks, the demand for the information provided on these networks has also increased. As a result of this increase in demand for information, users have noticed increasing delays in receiving their desired information. As is known, most of these networks, such as the Internet, transmit packets on a best effort basis. Techniques exist to increase best effort transmissions for unidirectional communications. However, no techniques are known to locally or remotely control service levels for bi-directional communications. For many uses (e.g., downloading articles, yesterday's sports scores, etc.) delays in receiving data which result from the best effort methodology coupled with the increased demand are frustrating but, to some extent, tolerable.
Further, the commonplace use of the Internet has fuelled an increase in the types of information that is available. Previously, the World Wide Web portion of the Internet was restricted to mostly text and photos. However, streaming audio and video, full motion animation and the like are now common place. These latter types of media are more sensitive to delays in transmission/reception.
Also gaining popularity is the use of packet networks for voice communication (e.g., use of the network for “telephone calls”). Due to the nature of live two way communication, delays in receiving packets of voice data are far more problematic than when downloading yesterday's sports scores.
While customers of network access providers (sometimes known as Internet Service Providers or ISPs) typically subscribe for a fixed amount of bandwidth having a fixed level of service (e.g., 56 kbps modem access, 1 Mbps DSL access, etc.), customers, especially those paying for so-called high speed or broadband access, are nevertheless frustrated when delays, resulting from network congestion, are experienced. These delays result from the best effort handling within the packet network of packets from or destined for these customers. Accordingly, despite the high quality link between the customer and their ISP, the customer receives, for example, “jerky” streaming video, or a VoIP call that, due to dropped or delayed packets, sounds sub-standard to the customer.
It has also been noted that many online retailers are now offering to prospective purchasers the ability to speak directly to a sales representative by selecting a button or the like on a web page. These prospective purchasers may, while viewing the web pages, tolerate delays in receiving requested information. However, these same delays often become intolerable due to the resulting interference with VoIP communications. Some schemes have attempted to address the problem by providing all packets emanating from a selected customer with priority handling. However, the costs associated with these schemes together with the dynamic and varying nature of a customer's use of their network access (e.g., delays may be tolerable in some cases and intolerable in other cases with switching between the two cases often happening in a single session) have demonstrated that these schemes are often unsatisfactory. Similar frustrating results occur when other data types are used.
Further, many potential customers consider that the costs associated with obtaining a high or priority level of service to be wasted when the party with which they are communicating does not subscribe to the same level of service. As a result, a customer, that is paying for the increased quality or level of service for packets emanating from the customer receives packets from the other party that have been handled with a much lower level service. As a result, the other party may be receiving packets from the customer on a timely basis (which may result, in a VoIP call, in high quality audio being received by the other party) while the “high priority” customer is receiving packets that have been delayed or even failing to receive some packets (which may result in a choppy and intolerable audio being received by the customer). This situation is often unsatisfactory.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to deliver access to the level of network connectivity (or quality of the connection to the network) that customers desire while addressing some of the access issues described above.